MILLSBORO, DE -- Town officials in Millsboro are considering redistricting options due to an influx of growth from new housing developments, notably Plantation Lakes, creating an imbalance in population amongst districts.
There are seven members on the Millsboro Town Council -- two from each of three districts and one 'at-large' member.
According to officials, a study based on the 2020 census by the University of Delaware recently revealed all three districts having between 2,200 and 2,400 people each.
At-large Councilman Marty Presley says that 2020 census date is now obsolete.
"This district is growing at 30 percent a year, so it doesn't take long to get out of balance," says Presley. "The 2020 census would already be misconstrued because it would still be overweighing one district over the other two where all the growth is happening in District 3."
Presley estimates the numbers in District 3 to be closer to 5,000 people and says that number is growing. He adds the fact District 3 still gets the same representation as the other two districts, despite it's growth, leads to an imbalance.
"You might have 5,000 or 6,000 people living in one district and only 1,000 or 1,500 in the other two districts, but they get the same council representation, so that leads to an extreme disadvantage," says Presley.
Plantation Lakes resident Cindy Bailey agrees.
"They should do a proper study that says the real number of people that are in Millsboro in the three districts right now," says Bailey. "They didn't do that. So, if they do that and they do it properly, we would end up having more representatives not less."
But District 1 Councilwoman Mary D'Silva says people should not be so quick to dismiss UD's data. She points out the difference between homeowners in Plantation Lakes.
"There are many people who, that's not their primary residence, so they wouldn't be captured in that statistical data," says D'Silva. "In addition to that, they have multiple residences. So when you're looking at the data, you can only capture who that is their primary residence."
D'Silva says town committees are considering options to recount the town's population. If the numbers show District 3 needs another council seat, she says she will support it.